The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-09-22

anu no doubt II the many cO10reQ
graveyards in that section were made
to give up their dead the skeleton Of
not few would be found to be minus
the right hand. The southern blacks
also believe that the big toe Of Q
deceased friend carried on the person,
will keep away disease, and that the
toes of an enemy can be used as charms
to conjure their living enemies. Thus
it is they originated the lines:
Wild ds bonney toe.
III bring dem woe,
Fore daylight in de mornin'.
Voudoo doctors-and there are
carry on an extensive traffic in human
bones and other portions of the body,
They use the skull to perform a mystic
ceremony for the sick, or to bring luck
to a poverty stricken family; the ears
are employed in another ceremony,
the outcome of which is to find out
what your enemies are saying about
you, and the other bones all have a
mission to perform while the voudoo
is humbugging his victim. The voudoo
doctor is usually a naturally smart
darkey, with a good ilow of converse
ton, and as much inventive genius as
Bowery confidence man. In Wash
ington of late voudOos have become
rather scarce, as the police arrest them
as Migrants whenever they put in an
appearance.
The country negroes in South
Carolina, Georgia. and portions of
Florida have very pretty and some
what poetical superstition. During
the stiffness of the night, when the
ing their wierd requiems, whole
families will sit about their cabin doors
and listen intently to this music of the
forest. In its changing melody they
hear voices of dead friends predicting
good or evil for the future or reveal
ing secrets of the tomb.
No reward could induce the negro
surfmen on the North Carolina coast
to walk along the beach at night,
especially during a storm, when the
lightning is flashing and the huge
white-capped breakers come sputtering
in on the sandy beach. They imagine
they can see in the phosphores-
cent light the forms of sailors who
were lost at sea, riding in astride of
the huge pillows. On account of this
superstition it has been found i'm
possible to induce negro coastmen
matter how well adapted they may be
for the work. The tedious night patrol
along the desolate seashore is what
| they object to. The average seashore
negro would almost rather die than to
encounter the vague form of a depart
ed sailor man in the surf or on the
beach.
There are many minor superstitions
| among the colored people. If a COW
stops in front of house and bellows
| it is a sure sign that some one on the
premises will die. If the COW bellows
twice the party marked for dissolution
/ will die in two days, two weeks, or
two months. Should the animal below
five times, which is a rare occurrence,
death will occur in less than one
week. When a cock enters the house
and crows therein, it means that the
family will have visitors. To crow
outside the door indicates that the
residents of the house will be suddenly
called away on mission. Sometimes
an overfed hen will make a sound
which resembles the faint growing of a
young rooster. This is regarded as an
evil omen, and the luckless hen is al
ways decapitated when its owner is at
all superstitious. Scientists say the
sound is caused by indigestion. The
darkics have a verse they repeat in this
connection. 1t is this:
A Whistling woman
| And Growing hen
| VIII never come
To any good end.
The owl usually boots three times:
When this uncanny bird forgets itself
and increases the number of boots to
four or five the plantation negroes re-
gard it as an omen of sickness, starva-
ton. or death. To kill a cat means
that the person who did the killing
will have seven years of bad luck. To
catch a water-snake on your fishing
line is sure sign that your enemies
are trying to entrap and kill you. Thus
the negroes say:
Catch snake
Let him go,
| For death Is comm
| Sho and sho.
To see flock of crows lowering
about your house is very bad sign,
and to drop your bible while going to
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